Crap Rapid switches

[Circuitbenders]

If you buy parts from Rapid electronics you've probably noticed that they have stopped selling any decent sub-miniature toggle switches and now they only stock these http://www.rapidonline.com/Electronic-Components/Switches/Toggle-Switches/Sub-miniature-toggle-switches/79431
which are complete crap. In fact i just got a bag of 100 and ended up sending them back as they are rubbish. Because the bodies are all plastic you have to be very careful taking the nut off or it shreds the thread. You also have to be very careful not to over tighten the nut or it either snaps the neck off the body of the switch or it destroys the thread making it useless. If you actually manage to get the thing bolted in, then soldering to it is a nightmare in that the whole thing melts if you overheat the tags even slightly.
I'm really annoyed that Rapid no longer do ANY decent small switches. We now use these from JPR, which aren't quite as good quality as the old Rapid sub-miniature switches but they are far better than the crap that Rapid are selling:
http://www.jprelec.co.uk/index.htm?http&&&www.jprelec.co.uk/docs/order_code.asp?pCode=%5F0G910IC2D&PGID=%5F2CK0LTV1J&LEVEL=1&SearchType2=6&MODE=&PARTNO=&KEYWORD=&PG=Switches+%26+Sensors&RELATED=0&rtype=A&OC=NONE&TEMP=NONE

[the_zombiest]

good rant.
I couldn't agree more. The sub-mini's are terrible. I'm back to using the standard mini toggles now.
They're push-buttons aren't much better either. Real cheap melty shit.
I've not used JPR before.... good prices by the looks of things. Much the same as rapid.
Cool!

[Circuitbenders]

and they do cheap good quality push buttons............... which is nice.

Go for the ones made by PIC rather than the standard shit ones labelled as 'low cost'

[the_zombiest]

I had a look at the low cost ones. They look a lot like the shitty rapid buttons. The PICs however, look as sturdy as a thick-set lady with cankles like tree trunks. Brilliant

[Soaker]

tanks for info

[Tyler1144]

I stick with hongkong superseller

Better than radioshack by an extra pin and $3 cheaper PER SWITCH